Chapter 10

Days flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve, the time for a grand imperial banquet.

I followed the Imperial Consort and finally caught sight of the rumored Empress.

She looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, with clear eyes and a bright, vivid beauty, yet her face was mostly filled with a deathly stillness. Dressed in her heavy palace robes, her presence did not falter when compared to the Imperial Consort.

It made sense. No matter how young she was, she was still a Legitimate Daughter meticulously raised by a prestigious family of high standing; how could she lose to a Foreign Woman?

It was no wonder I was only seeing her now, for ever since the Imperial Consort entered the palace, Pei Qi had exempted her from the requirement of paying daily respects to the Empress.

And the Empress? She rarely ventured more than a few steps beyond her own palace gates. Every day, she was either visiting the Empress Dowager or staying in her own quarters, as if she were terrified someone might remember her. She had no presence at all.

Naturally, the wives of various ministers also attended this New Year’s Eve banquet. As I passed by, I heard the sounds of much tittering and chatter:

“She’s quite pitiful, becoming a widow just like that.”

“The child is only sixteen, and an only child at that.”

“His Majesty is merciful; hasn’t he already bestowed a title? There’s nothing to be done about dying in battle.”

The woman at the center of the conversation had hair that was half-white. Even thick powder could not hide the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, yet she was clearly only twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

I suddenly thought of the clump of black hair that had fallen out while I was combing my hair this morning.

Oh, I am only eighteen.

Suddenly, the woman looked up and happened to meet my gaze. But it was only for a fleeting moment before she turned and left the banquet without looking back.

I turned away, remembering the Imperial Consort’s instructions. Today was New Year’s Eve, and she would be waiting for the Son of Heaven in the Plum Grove after the banquet. She said that the dance from her homeland was at its most beautiful when performed amidst falling snow and brilliant red plum blossoms.

But unfortunately, I was the one left behind to watch over the palace.

She had never once thought of taking me along.